Small wind slabs and buried surface hoar on Carpenter Ridge

Location Name: 
Carpenter Ridge
Region: 
Independence Lake Area
Date and time of observation: 
Thu, 02/06/2014 - 11:50
Location Map: 
United States
39° 24' 43.2" N, 120° 18' 46.008" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Light snowfall with less than 0.5 inches of new snow accumulation in this area today prior to 2:30 pm. Small wind slabs were noted in near treeline terrain on NW-N-NE aspects along the ridgeline. These small slabs did not extend more than a few meters down slope. The existing snowpack above the strong and supportable mid pack rain crust is not in good condition to handle new snow loading. There are two weak layers of concern. One is the near crust facets on top of the rain crust and the second is the buried surface hoar layer. One or both of these layers is likely to contribute to natural or human triggered avalanche activity during the upcoming storm cycle this weekend. 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: